A man yells and chant slogans near the site of Eric Garner’s death after it was announced that the New York police officer involved in the death of Garner is not being indicted
In a case that sparked outrage and drew comparisons to the deadly police shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, a white New York City police officer was cleared in the chokehold death of an unarmed black man stopped on suspicion of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes.
The decision Wednesday by the Staten Island grand jury not to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo heightened tensions that have simmered in the city since the July 17 death of Eric Garner. In the neighborhood where Garner died, people reacted with angry disbelief and chanted, “I can’t breathe!” and “Hands up — don’t choke!”
In anticipation of the announcement on the grand jury decision, police officials met with community leaders on Staten Island to head off a repeat of the response in Ferguson, where a grand jury decided last week not to indict the white officer who shot the unarmed black teen.
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama said Wednesday evening (yesterday, Macau time) that the grand jury decision underscores the need to strengthen the trust and accountability between communities and law enforcement. The U.S. Justice Department will conduct a federal investigation into Garner’s death, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced Wednesday evening.
As with 18-year-old Michael Brown’s death, the Garner case sparked protests, accusations of racist policing and calls for federal prosecutors to intervene. But unlike the Missouri protests, the demonstrations in New York remained mostly peaceful.
Garner’s stepfather, Benjamin Carr, urged calm but said the ruling made no sense.
“It’s just a license to kill a black man,” he said, calling the justice system “not worth a damn.”
Police union officials and Pantaleo’s lawyer argued that the officer used a takedown move taught by the police department, not a banned maneuver, because Garner was resisting arrest. They said his poor health was the main reason he died.
Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan said the grand jury found “no reasonable cause” to bring charges. The grand jury could have considered a range of charges, from murder to a lesser offense such as reckless endangerment.
“I am actually astonished based on the evidence of the videotape, and the medical examiner, that this grand jury at this time wouldn’t indict for anything,” said a lawyer for Garner’s family, Jonathan Moore.
Garner’s family planned a news conference later in the day with civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton. Mayor Bill de Blasio canceled his planned appearance at the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting to hold a news conference at a Staten Island church while citywide protests started to gather steam.
A video shot by an onlooker and widely viewed on the Internet showed the 43-year-old Garner telling a group of police officers to leave him alone as they tried to arrest him. Pantaleo responded by wrapping his arm around Garner’s neck in what appeared to be a chokehold, which is banned under NYPD policy.
The heavyset Garner, who had asthma, was heard repeatedly gasping, “I can’t breathe!”
A second video surfaced that showed police and paramedics appearing to make no effort to revive Garner while he lay motionless on the ground. He later died at a hospital.
After the grand jury decision came down, demonstrations began in the city. In Times Square a crowd of at least 200 people held signs saying, saying “Black lives matter,” ‘’Fellow white people, wake up” and “Once again, no justice.” Tom Hays and Colleen Long, New York, AP
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